Aluminum Wheel Care

BruceWGT · **Posted:** Sat Oct 12, 2013 9:00 pm

I have the stock 5 spoke aluminum wheels on my 2009 GT and was wondering if there is any suggestions for cleaner/polish that will keep them looking good without damaging the finish, or perhaps any cleaner/polish that should stay away from?

Bobt · **Posted:** Mon Oct 14, 2013 6:58 am

Ive seen people us the mothers ball and polish the living you know what out of them. They look incredible! Just like a mirror :thumbsup2:

Red Baron · **Posted:** Tue Oct 15, 2013 9:53 pm

Aluminum wheels needs more than just polish to protect them. A good quality cleaner/wax would also work well. The "cleaner" is generally a mild polish anyway and the wax offers added protection that a polish alone just cannot provide. In the real world these type of products help protect the wheels from the ravages of brake dust and road grime. They also make it easier to clean your wheels as the brake dust and road grime have a harder time sticking to the surface.

Personally I use Griot's Garage One Step Polish/Paint Sealant. This product does a great job of cleaning and polishing and protecting the wheels.

Midnight Blue
MCOM Treasurer-Historian

BruceWGT · **Posted:** Tue Oct 22, 2013 3:41 pm

Hi guys. Thanks for the advice on cleaning and polishing the aluminum wheels.

Red Baron · **Posted:** Tue Oct 22, 2013 8:45 pm

Your welcome! :btu:

By the way Meguiars and Mothers and many of the other popular consumer oriented car care product companies generally offer special Aluminum wheel cleaning products. These are good for cleaning your wheels but you still need to polish and protect them once they have been cleaned. That's why I use the cleaner/wax type of products. Depending on the wheel I can polish/wax them by hand or with my 3" Griot's Garage Orbital Polisher. Either way the Aluminum wheels look better a lot longer! :banana:

Midnight Blue
MCOM Treasurer-Historian

BruceWGT · **Posted:** Wed Oct 23, 2013 7:48 am

Before the cruise last Sunday I cleaned the wheels good and used some Mothers aluminum polish that I bought. I then covered the wheels with a coat of Mequiers wax I had in my trunk kit. The Mothers really brought out the shine on the wheels and removed embedded brake dust between the spokes. Im thinking about getting the power ball Bob was talking to bring out the shine more next time. Thanks again

Red Baron · **Posted:** Wed Oct 23, 2013 2:26 pm

Here is a recent example of my 5 spoke aluminum Cobra R wheels that I purchased from American Muscle in 2008. Now aluminum will never be as bright as chrome, which I believe the Mothers Powerball System is better suited for, but the Mothers Powerball will get into the nooks and crannies to help with cleaning and polishing. But keep in mind that a polish is a mild abrasive and will not offer any protection to your wheels. That is why a wax or a paint sealant is necessary to protect the wheels from brake dust and other harmful pollutants. Just as you would not want to polish your car without adding a wax or paint sealant for protection, the same thing applies to your aluminum or chrome wheels.

I recently detailed my daughters 2010 Mini Cooper S. Mini uses a very soft brake pad which causes a tremendous amount of brake dust. Since detailing her car and applying Griot's Garage One-Step Paint Sealant to her wheels she has less noticeable brake duct accumulation and a simple hosing of the wheels removes most of the remaining brake dust.

I have also used the Mothers Powerball foam cleaning pads and after only one or two uses they become so dirty that you have to replace them. Not very economical.

I am enclosing a close up of my six year old wheels and a before and after photo of my daughters 2010 Mini Cooper S wheels.

Midnight Blue
MCOM Treasurer-Historian

gtvert01 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 24, 2013 2:57 pm

The only thing I would caution is to make sure that if the factory wheels are clear coated you use a cleaner that is compatible with the clear coat. A normal metal or aluminum polish may/will damage the finish on a clear coated wheel as they are meant to remove oxidation from the metal and are abrasive. They are more for a raw/polished aluminum wheel. So if you have a clear coated wheel I wouldn't go at it with a metal polish and a ball. I would use a paint polish and the ball. I use a metal polish and ball/cone on my F-150 wheels but they are polished aluminum.

Steve can correct me if I'm wrong but that is what I've learned over the years. Really read the bottles because there are all kinds of things out there.

BruceWGT · **Posted:** Fri Oct 25, 2013 8:48 am

Were factory wheels ever clear coated? How is a way to determine if they are?

Red Baron · **Posted:** Fri Oct 25, 2013 3:47 pm

Dave is absolutely right! Back in 2008 when I bought my 2002 Mustang it came with aluminum wheels but not a matched set. They were beat to death with a lot of scratches and peeling clearcoat. The clearcoat had turned yellow and made the wheels look horrible. I bought an aluminum polishing kit from a company called Busch at the Ford show at Carlisle. This aluminum polish was so strong that it made the peeling clearcoat even worse! :cussing:

I even spoke with a wheel repair specialist who told me how expensive it would be to have the clearcoat removed.

At that point I decided that it was easier for me to just buy new wheels for the car which I did. The Mothers Powerball System is better suited to chrome finished wheels which in most cases are not clearcoated. I would have to say that most factory OEM wheels are clearcoated to offer them a measure of protection against pitting. If you want to use the Mothers Powerball system you can do so with a liquid cleaner/polish/wax. Mothers makes a product like this as does Meguiar's, Armor All, Turtle Wax, Black Magic, Simonize and many other companies.

It is just so much easier to use a car paint protectant cleaner/wax which is mildly abrasive and will not harm the clearcoat on your wheels. If it is safe enough to use on your cars paint than it is safe enough to use on the cars aluminum wheels. You can use a Caranuba based product or a synthetic product but both would be safer on your wheels. I use metal polish but not on my wheels.

Midnight Blue
MCOM Treasurer-Historian

Jim07SGT · **Joined:** Fri Nov 04, 2011 8:27 am **Posts:** 136

I have the same wheels. At the OC Cruise I bought Bimbos Extreme Metal Polish and Sealer. I am please with how it has worked especially on the back side of the wheels. The brake dust comes off easily.

Red Baron · **Posted:** Fri Oct 25, 2013 9:46 pm

Hey Jim,

I just checked out the website for Bimbo's Metal Polishes and came across these two products. The first one is probably the one you used on your wheels. It appears to be a gentle polish and will do an excellent job of polishing your wheels. They also make a sealer gloss than will protect the wheels for up to six months. This is a synthetic sealer and should be used after you polish your wheels to protect them. The polish will shine them up but will not protect them. I could have used their clear coat cutter on my old wheels but I'm glad that I bought new ones anyway.

Sealer Gloss: Our sealer has been formulated to protect any hard surface for up to six months. Works on metal, fiberglass, painted and any hard surface. Rub product onto surface, let it sit for five to ten minutes until dry. Wipe off dried sealer with soft microfiber towel. Works great on your wheels. Formulated to protect any hard surface for up to six months.

Metal Polish: Cleans and polishes all metals. It polishes aluminum, chrome, stainless steel, silver, brass, copper gold and much more. Formulated to be powerful yet gentle enough it can polish your delicate metals without harm and strong enough to polish hard metals like stainless steel.

16oz Bottle

Clear Coat Cutter: Is a super duty clear coat remover. It removes old, cracked, flaking and yellowing clear coat from your rims. After you remove the clear coat you can polish it with our Metal Gloss to a beautiful glossy shine.

1 quart

Midnight Blue
MCOM Treasurer-Historian

Red Baron · **Posted:** Sat Oct 26, 2013 1:08 pm

I was looking through my Griot's Garage catalog to see if they had any special products for aluminum wheels. They recommend using a wheel cleaning clay bar, similar to a paint cleaning clay bar to clean the wheels thoroughly after using a wheel cleaning product to remove the surface dirt, road grime and brake dust. Then they recommend using the wheel cleaning clay bar to clean up any contamination and dirt remaining on the wheel. Then they recommend using a wax or a paint sealant to protect the finish.

They warned against using any metal polishes that were not specifically recommended for use on aluminum wheels as they would be too aggressive and could damage the clear coat and the wheel itself. As always use least aggressive product that will do the job! :nono:

Midnight Blue
MCOM Treasurer-Historian

Jim07SGT · **Joined:** Fri Nov 04, 2011 8:27 am **Posts:** 136

Steve,
You are correct!
I cleaned the wheels, then used the polish and followed it with the sealer. The kit also comes with a cleaner which I haven't used yet.
I just came back from a day at the track. The front wheels were cover with brake dust. Some of the dust came off with just water and after applying a wheel cleaneer the dust just rinsed off. They look chrome again.
Jim

Red Baron · **Posted:** Tue Oct 29, 2013 11:02 am

Mustang Club of Maryland

Aluminum Wheel Care

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